Generally, the bottom surface of commercial vehicles or recreational vehicles, which many passengers get into, is higher than that of passenger cars. Accordingly, it is difficult for people such as children or the old and the weak to get into or get out of the vehicles. To solve this problem, as an auxiliary foothold, a side step is installed onto the lower portion of the side door of the commercial vehicle or the recreational vehicle in order to protrude outward from the side door thereof.
A sample of a conventional vehicle equipped with the side step is shown in FIG. 12. The conventional vehicle, generally, comprises the frame 110 made of metal pipe and formed with vertical bending portions 101 and 102 on both sides thereof, and a rectangular foothold 120 being protrudingly outwardly mounted on the one side of the frame 110.
A predetermined bracket is fixedly attached on the body frame or the inner side member installed on the lower surface of the vehicle, and the bending portions 101 and 102 of the frame 110 are connected to the bracket by a connecting means such as a bolt. Thereby, the side step 100 is installed on the vehicle.
At this rime, the foothold 120 of the side step 100 is positioned in the intermediate of between the bottom surface of the vehicle and the ground so that passengers can easily get into or get out of.
However, the conventional side step should be fixedly outwardly protruding from the side door of the vehicle. Therefore, when the side step is excessively protruding, a car accident may happen. And, when the vehicle is parked, a large parking space is required. Further, when the side step is insufficiently protruding, it may not be usefully used as a foothold.